Kansas City Royals Legend George Brett Honored for Being Honored for the Thousandth Time

by Freneau on Apr 1, 2011 8:00 AM EDT in Honoring & Remembering Former Kansas City Royals

KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 31: Former player George Brett of the Kansas City Royals waves to the crowd as he is honored prior to the start of the opening day game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Kauffman Stadium on March 31, 2011 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

KANSAS CITY - In a special on-field ceremony the Kansas City Royals honored George Brett for being honored for the thousandth time. According to team historians, prior to 2011's Opening Day, Brett had been honored 999 times since retiring from baseball at the end of the 1993 season.

"This was a truly special occasion in which we commemorate the 1,000th time that we have commemorated George Brett," said Team President Dan Glass.

At home plate, dirt from the first celebration of Brett's career was mixed with dirt from his thousandth such ceremony. The mixture was then blessed by an ecumenical gathering of various holy men, with a promise to be used in Brett's two thousandth commemoration, which is believed to be reached by the 2021 season.

"Brett's march to 3,000 hits was truly memorable," said team Board Member Ruth Glass. "We would do him a disservice if we stopped now."

As Brett was honored, fans Mike and Matthew McCarthy, of Blue Springs, reflected on the gravity of the moment. "Our dad was with us in... 1999 I think, when Brett was honored prior to a game. It's those memories that give you a connection across time," said Mike.

"One day, I hope that my son might watch Brett being honored," added Matthew.

According to team owner David Glass, it is only fitting that Brett be so honored. "I want this to be an organization that honors her honors properly. When we forget the ways in which we have previously remembered the remembering of our past, we collectively lose our soul."

That sentiment was echoed by Royals Board Member Don Glass, who revealed that the team is planning a statue of the making of the George Brett statue outside the K.

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I especially like it’s all the Glasses talking

by Yamfun Cheng Kamfun on Apr 1, 2011 8:30 AM EDT reply actions

Everyone knows

you’re not a real Hall of Famer until you’ve been honored 3,000 times. Unless you’re a pitcher, then 300 will do.

My new blog: Those Other Guys. Critiques welcome.

by jonfmorse on Apr 1, 2011 8:36 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs

can we please refer to Dan Glass as Todd Glass

for no other reasons than i refer to Dallas Clark as Todd Clark. I need more Todd in my life.

Do these effectively hide my thunder?

by splitty on Apr 1, 2011 9:14 AM EDT reply actions

what about

Cowbell Glass?

Everyone needs more cow bell!!!!!!!!!!!

by stlJeff on Apr 1, 2011 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions

Hilarious!

Very nicely done. Even Brett, like the rest of us, is starting to look bored by being honored so much.

"Shot by my own men."

by StonewallPDS on Apr 1, 2011 10:16 AM EDT reply actions

I demand a recount.

It has to be over 1000 times.

- .-. ..- … – / – …. . / .—. .-. - .. . … …

by Jeff Zimmerman on Apr 1, 2011 10:26 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Agreed

I know they didn’t always count appearances at the local mall as part of the times honored statistic. Couldn’t we get help from Retrosheet or someone to help with this?

by bluenm on Apr 1, 2011 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions

Agreed

I know they didn’t always count appearances at the local mall as part of the times honored statistic. Couldn’t we get help from Retrosheet or someone to help with this?

by bluenm on Apr 1, 2011 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions

Apparently I thought it would be funny if this posted twice.

My funky internet connection has brought shame to my name.

by bluenm on Apr 1, 2011 11:44 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Outstanding

Brett, however, was critical of the media’s critical coverage of the honoring ceremony:

Every on-field honoring ceremony is going to take criticism. I don’t give a [bleep] if you’re Lou [bleep]ing Gehrig. You’re going to take criticism. I think the problem is in this town we’ve had terrible on-field honoring ceremonies for so many [bleep]ing years in a row that people don’t have any patience. So as soon as David does something that the media doesn’t like, they explode on him. [bleep] you and [bleep] them. Believe me, Jack Harry, Kevin Kietzman, Roger Twibell, every sports guy in town, Dave Stewart, has never interviewed for an on-field honoring ceremony master of ceremonies job. You know why? Because there’s 30 teams in Major League Baseball. Thirty! No one’s ever called these guys to introduce Hall of Famers. No one’s ever called them to conduct ceremonies honoring Hall of Famers. Why? Because they don’t know what they’re talking about sometimes. They DON’T know what they’re talking about sometimes. And I’m sick and tired of listening to it. OK? I’m sick and tired of listening to it. There are a lot of people who respect Glass that understand the game of consistently milking as much nostalgia as you can out of an abused fanbase that has only had one player worth honoring in the last 25 [bleeping] years. A lot of people do. A LOT of people respect him for his nostalgia-milking abilities. And you know what? If our media doesn’t, that’s fine because it’s not going to affect him. It’s not going to affect him. End of story.

by Sweep_the_Leg on Apr 1, 2011 10:30 AM EDT reply actions 8 recs

jesus...

Chiefs Might

by chicks_love_chiefs on Apr 1, 2011 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions

This is great.

I'm waiting for my wave of talent to arrive.

by mitchfreakingmaier! on Apr 1, 2011 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions

Never gets old.

Glad I came, just wish I hadn't stayed so long.
Rock Chalk Talk

by Warden11 on Apr 1, 2011 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions

[holds up three fingers]

Making watching baseball as fun as doing your taxes.
My Twitter feed.

by Matt Klaassen on Apr 2, 2011 1:14 AM EDT up reply actions

I can imagine something like this

Happening later this year, upon the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!

by cmkeller on Apr 1, 2011 10:35 AM EDT reply actions

It's my understanding...

the Royals are building additional statues of Brett: One portrays himself as a 1B-man, one as a DH, one as an ‘executive’, and one more statue of Brett recieving an award of some sort to actually be located on-field, near the pitcher’s mound.

If women only slept with nice guys...guys would only be nice. And they don't. And we're not.

by setupunchtag on Apr 1, 2011 10:52 AM EDT reply actions 7 recs

reliving the poopy pants episode?

"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell

by buddyball on Apr 1, 2011 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Another of Brett in full flight during a totally-not-drunken, profanity-filled rant to the KC media

Making watching baseball as fun as doing your taxes.
My Twitter feed.

by Matt Klaassen on Apr 2, 2011 1:16 AM EDT up reply actions

It's time for Brett to call it a day...

…with these honoring ceremonies. I mean, in ‘04 and ’05 (and some would argue ’08) he was still able to honor to all fields. But the days of Brett being a 5-tool honoree… are long gone. To Matthew McCarthy I would say no, I don’t want my son to see Brett honored if he is a sad old shell of his previous honorings. It probably won’t be a popular stance on RR, but I think it’s time for Brett to call it an honoring career. It may be too late for him to go out on top, but I think it’s time. I think he knows it, too. We’ll of course need to have a ceremony when that day comes…

The greatest moment of my childhood was when [insert name] did [insert insane thing].

by 2motley4thetitle on Apr 1, 2011 12:11 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs

It is a tragedy

That they have not renamed the team the Kansas City Bretts. Have they no sense of history?

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Apr 1, 2011 12:32 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Something like this may be on its way

to the Royals Hall of Fame Museum. Hopefully, the Royals’ brass take my suggestion that there should be a gold and jewel-encrusted reliquary containing perhaps the most unsung but important object in Royals history. We need to honor the heroic latex glove inserted into George’s holy rectum in the Year of our Lord 1980. It and the divinely-guided doctor’s hand inside it (the remains of which could also be included in such an object) helped diagnose and remove those devil-sent hemorrhoids. I’m sure future sufferers of similar afflictions could also be healed by its holy power.